


where would I be if you hadn't found me

by regrettes



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-07-10 15:02:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19907665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regrettes/pseuds/regrettes
Summary: The Fates had a Plan A, the marks. They had a Plan B, the Strings. There was no Plan C.orsoulmates au





	1. a rose by any other name

“Mama! Mama what does this thing on my wrist say? Did I finally get my mark?”

Alyssa Greene didn’t know why her mom screamed and cried when she asked what the name read, or why she refused to tell Alyssa. Her dad seemed concerned but didn’t cry where Alyssa could see. She thought she had done something wrong in asking, but her mom had always told her that when her wrist matched theirs that it would be okay, and that they would read it to her.

_E M M A._

She couldn’t read it, but that wouldn’t matter within a week’s time. By the end of the week her mother had set up an appointment with a ‘special doctor’ as she put it. What the Greene family didn’t know was how that appointment would alter not only their daughter’s life, but the life of another girl entirely. The Greene’s didn’t care, they would rather their daughter be one of the few without a name, than one with a name they didn’t approve of.

The Fates at hand had other plans.

_____________________________

Emma Nolan didn’t know why, but her mark had never fully formed when she was six. She’d gotten the faintest outline of most of it, and the first letter. _A._ She didn’t know the story behind it, but her grandma had always thought maybe it was because her soulmate had already passed away. That didn’t make sense to Emma however, because it would have disappeared like her grandmother’s did when her granddad passed away. She remembered that day vividly, and how heartbroken Betsy was, she knew the way the name faded like it was her own name fading out of existence.

She never found herself focusing on boys with A names in her class though, not feeling that pull toward them that she’d read about in her late nights of searching for the answer. From what she read, sometimes someone’s name wouldn’t appear fully but there was that pull of the Fates that would bring the soulmates together. The mark was Plan A so to speak, and the Strings of Fate were Plan B. Emma had no idea what Plan C would be if Plan B didn’t work for her.

Little did she know, there was no Plan C. Plan B was do or die.

_____________________________

Alyssa Greene moved through her life feeling empty, like a piece of her was missing. She knew it was just because her family was an exception to the Rule of Fates. Neither her nor her mother had ever developed a mark. When her mother met her father they bonded over not having marks, but with his passing when Alyssa was young, she didn’t remember much of him. She imagined that if they had developed marks, her parents would have each other’s names. It brought Alyssa a warm feeling in her chest, but then let her mind wander to what hers would have been. Sometimes she dreamed she had one, but the name never was clear. She could make out the very first letter sometimes, it looked like an _E_ but she couldn’t be sure. She wondered what it meant, if this was the Fates trying to tell her something.

Her mother always assured her that the dreams didn’t mean anything. That it was just wishful thinking to fit in, but in all aspects other than The Mark, Alyssa fit in better than most. Alyssa was a cheerleader, she was on the debate team, she had friends. She just didn’t have a mark, and sometimes that was something she wished she had.

Sometimes meant most of the time.


	2. this scene won't play

“This is stupid, my handwriting was perfect on that one and these mortals had to go and mess with it!” Dee Dee complained, throwing her arms up in the air as she stared into the looking glass, Trent posed on the other side like a statue. He hadn’t said a word since Alyssa had gone under, trying to watch what was happening, while also hoping that Dee Dee would stop complaining long enough that he could check on Alyssa Greene’s soulmate, how that mark was forming. He hadn’t seen a lot of the mortal’s messing with marks in the past, so he didn’t quite know how much he subconsciously prevents or removes himself.

Realistically, he wouldn’t remove the matching mark, but there were some things even The Fates had no control over. For Dee Dee, she lost her senses when making a mark, for Trent he didn’t know what the stake was when mortals removed their own marks. Angie had full control of herself, but merely watched over The Strings as they stretched thinner and thinner. There was no way to strengthen them unless she were to appear in a mortal form and play matchmaker. That would only cause more harm than good she’d found, having watched Barry do it twice with dramatic flair, and complete failure.

______________

Being without a soulmate was one thing, but being gay in Indiana was another. Being both was a death sentence among teenagers. Emma knew that the odds were stacked against her, but that didn’t stop her. She figured that if fate had determined she wasn’t meant to find who ‘A’ was, then she would make her own fate. After all, who needed a soulmate when you could just crush on Alyssa Greene?

Emma found herself thinking about Alyssa a little more than she probably should, getting distracted as she made it to her locker, not noticing the slight scuff marks of someone tampering with it as she flung it open. Abruptly, she was pulled from her thoughts by a stuffed bear hanging with its eyes ripped out. She heard the laughter and felt her heart drop to her stomach before a voice rang out.

“Do you like the bear Emma?” Kaylee giggled maniacally, eyes not leaving Emma’s as Shelby and Alyssa came up on either side of her.

“Oh yeah, you know I feel like this breaks a few laws? Violating my privacy? Threatening my life?” Emma snapped, eyes hardening as she felt tears begin welling up in her eyes. She knew that she should’ve grown used to this by now, but there was something that always kept her from giving up. She didn’t know what it was, but as Kaylee opened her mouth to respond a third voice joined the conversation.

“Kaylee, can you give it a rest? I know you think you’re hot shit because you have a mark, but not everyone has them. So it’s no surprise that there’s sometimes people like Emma,” Alyssa snapped, moving away from her friend to put herself between Emma and Kaylee. Kaylee opened her mouth to respond again but Alyssa was already removing the bear as she spoke, “And don’t you dare say that it’s because she’s gay. You know that’s not what this is about.” Her brown eyes met Kaylee’s for just a brief moment before looking into Shelby’s with even more intensity.

“Alyssa...” Emma whispered, trying to get her attention and defuse the situation, but then Alyssa turned around and she was star struck. Her hands immediately burrowed themselves into her pockets to keep from shaking as she attempted to form words, “I-Uhm, thank you. B-But you really don’t have to do this... I-I’m used to it. I’m gay, I’m soulmate-less, it’s the worst combination so I need to deal with it. Not everyone has soulmates, but those that do are... very special.” She gave a sad smile, not knowing that Alyssa was like her in more ways than one.

“Emma...” Alyssa started, but Emma just shook her head and closed her locker. She knew that if she kept trying to reason with any of them it would just end up worse on her end. She’d say something stupid and Alyssa would stop helping her when it came down to the harassment. She began to walk away when Alyssa called after her, getting the attention of almost everyone in the hallway, “I-I don’t have a mark either Emma. My parents didn’t have them, a-and I guess it was genetic. Please don’t think you’re alone in that department.” The blonde turned, eyes scanning the faces around her before settling on Alyssa with a soft but sad smile. She didn’t know how many people didn’t know that Alyssa didn’t have a soulmate, but now that the word was out, she feared that the same thing that happened to her, would happen to the other girl.

“That’s good to know Alyssa... I just hope,” She took in a sharp breath, making eye contact with Shelby briefly, “I just hope that what they do to me doesn’t happen to you. I know that it’s more or less because I’m gay _and_ don’t have a soulmate, but you deserve better than hanging bears and milk dumped on your lunch.” With that, Emma turned on her heel again and made her way out of the hall, leaving Alyssa alone with the whispers that now surrounded her.

__________________

“Why are mortals so _stupid?_ I am aging as we speak,” Barry whined, throwing his body over the looking glass dramatically. Angie merely watched him, a little over the dramatics for the time being, but equally as frustrated. When she’d seen the string begin to shrink, she’d had hope that the infamous pair of girls had finally come to their senses. Her hope way in vein however, watching the scene play out and the subsequent lamenting that came with it. Dee Dee had been mumbling about ‘karma’s going to have its kiss for that bitch’ since Alyssa Greene’s mother had gone through with the removal.

In hindsight, they probably should have made them a little harder to remove, however that wasn’t something they could fix at this point. The damage had been done, and now they had a mess to clean up. Trent was working on a solution to the mark removal, his own form of lamenting occurring behind the scenes. Angie knew that she needed to find something to fix this, but for now even The Fates had no clue what the outcome would be.


	3. sitting all alone in the dark

_“Mama, why do we have to drive to see a new doctor?” Alyssa asked, peering over the front seat of the car to try and see her mother better. Her father had to work, so it was just the pair for the trip, meaning Veronica was left to answer any and all questions she had._

_“Because,” Mrs. Greene started, drawing in a shaky breath as she kept her focus on the road, “This doctor is a special doctor. Your usual doctor can’t do what this doctor can so we just have to make the trip. But I’ll take you out for ice cream afterward if you’d like? Anything you want ‘Lyssa.” The mention of ice cream had effectively deterred her from asking any other questions, the six year old beginning to ramble on about how she wanted chocolate, or the one with fudge._

_Two hours after the topic of ice cream had been brought up Alyssa finally stopped talking about it, just in time for them to pull into the hospital parking lot. It wasn’t a large, or probably super professional hospital, in fact if she didn’t know any better she’d just think it was a regular business office. However, desperate times call for desperate measures and Veronica Greene was more desperate than ever. After she’d parked, she moved around to carry the still sleeping Alyssa into the hospital, a part of her questioning for a moment if she was doing the right thing. She shook off the mild worry, knowing that this would save her daughter from a lifetime of torment and sin._

_The process of the removal was a quick process, the surgery taking a little over an hour in the grand scheme of the three that the Greenes spent in that dingy office. The other two were spent letting her daughter wake up from the anesthesia and paying for the procedure. It gave Mrs. Greene a little more time to think about everything that just happened, what she’d done to her daughter. Alyssa wouldn’t know about it, they could pretend that soulmates didn’t always appear and she would be fine. That sometimes God and The Fates had a better plan for you._

_After Alyssa had woken up, she asked about ice cream again as if it was the only thing in the world that mattered. Veronica was relieved that her daughter seemed one-track minded. She could just brush this off as nothing, so she gladly bought Alyssa the biggest chocolate cone the parlor had. What she hadn’t expected was another girl Alyssa’s age to be behind them in line. She tapped Alyssa on the shoulder and started talking to her, simple questions about what ice cream she liked, and then about the bandage on her arm. “I’m Emma by the way! I’m here with my Grams! She brought me here cause momma and dad were sad that my soupmate drawing didn’t come through all the way.” The blonde pointed up to the older woman that was holding her other hand before motioning to where there was the letter A and then a faint outline on her wrist._

_Something in Mrs. Greene snapped, her heart all but stopping at the girl’s name. “No! I-Alyssa, I don’t want you talking to her, she’s a stranger,” Mrs. Greene grabbed Alyssa by her bandaged wrist, ignoring how her daughter shouted in pain. She pulled Alyssa to the side, looking back to the little girl’s grandma and fixing her with a glare. She was met with just as intense one in turn, “I suggest you keep your granddaughter away from my child. I don’t need her or whatever is on her wrist getting into my kid’s head.” She finally let go of Alyssa, who held her wrist close to her chest, brows furrowing as she tried to fight off the tears of pain._

_“Emma was just being nice ma’am, there’s no need to lash out at her. She’s just a child,” Emma’s grandma explained softly, holding her hand out in front of her to shield Emma from the woman. Emma’s focus was still on the pretty girl with brown eyes that she just wanted to talk to about ice cream. Alyssa looked at her with a sad smile before she had an idea and snuck past her mother just for a moment, handing her the dinosaur sticker that the doctor had given her. “My name’s Alyssa! It was nice to meet you!” That’s the only thing she got out before her mother scolded her again, all but dragging her out of the parlor._

__________________

“Alyssa, you don’t know what a burden having a soulmate would be! You wouldn’t have a choice in who you fell in love with, and who you would wind up with! God did you a favor! He had a stronger destiny for you than whatever the Fates would have been able to plan! Emma Nolan should be thankful that God picked her as well!” Mrs. Greene explained angrily, stomping her foot as her daughter threw her bag onto the bleachers and stared at her. She knew that Alyssa was only wanting to fit in, but they had had this conversation for years and it was getting tiresome. She had done what was best for her daughter and for her family. “I just don’t want you getting too close to her, she’s not a good influence.”

“But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to fit in! Do you know what it’s like to see people like Emma who openly don’t have a soulmate be picked on? Of course I’m going to stick up for her!” Alyssa fought, brow furrowing as she tried to think about a better way she could convince her mother that it was just because she was tired of seeing Emma being bullied. “It-It may have repercussions but I still think it was worth it!” As she finished speaking the doors to the gym opened, more students and their parents filing in for the PTA meeting. Much to both of the Greene’s surprise however, Emma filed in alongside her grandmother. It was an unusual sight, but Alyssa couldn’t help but smile, forgetting where she was and going up to Emma. “I-Hi!” She spoke softly, a warm feeling filling her chest as Emma smiled at her.

  
“Hi Alyssa,” Emma whispered, looking to her grandmother, who just gave her a slight nudge and a knowing look. “This, uhm, is my grandma, Betsy. Neither of us really come to these things, but Principal Hawkins said this one might be a good one to come to, considering we’re... discussing me? I guess? Or the whole bear incident I guess.” Alyssa didn’t know that was the reason for the meeting, but it made sense given her mother’s reaction to the entire thing. She pursed her lips, reaching out and resting her hand on Emma’s shoulder before her mother called to her, telling her that she needed to take a seat. Any words she had died in her throat right then, hand dropping as she was brought back from whatever presence had drawn her to Emma. She scurried back to where she’d dropped her bag, looking at Emma apologetically. The blonde and older woman moved to sit on the other side of the gym, but Emma’s eyes never left Alyssa as Mrs. Greene began talking. Neither teen tuned into the conversation until it was almost too late.

"I shouldn't have to say this more than once, I don't need your _disease_ spreading to my daugh- To the other students. This is a bigger problem than you know, and I won’t let it corrupt our town. The Fates may have chosen some of you for one path, but not everyone has that path. We’re all the same though, do you know any marks that have a same-sex name?" Mrs. Greene spat, glaring at the teen. She felt the same wave of terror rise in her that she felt when Alyssa was six. There was something about the way Emma was drawn to her daughter that scared her. But she'd prevented Fate's plan, right? She'd removed the mark, that was supposed to do the job. The doctors assured her that was going to be the solution, that her daughter would be able to love anyone without the struggle of finding her soulmate.

“Mom!” Alyssa shouted, trying to stop her mother, but the other parents had already started joining in with her mother’s argument, most of them on the same side. Betsy and Emma remained quiet however, from the look on Emma’s face she was fighting back tears, and a part of Alyssa broke inside. There was something driving her to just run over and sit with the blonde and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but the fear of her mother seemed to stop her. It wasn’t until Betsy looked at her that she found strength in all of the commotion to pull Emma outside of the gym, her mother too lost in the power trip to really notice. Once they’d made it out of the gym and down the hall, she wrapped Emma in the tightest hug she could manage, feeling the shaking girl melt into her. The embrace made her wrist ache a little, but she didn’t care, Emma needed her. Despite the circumstances, something about holding Emma felt _right_ , like she was meant to be here.

_________________________

“Is this something good?” Barry asked, noticing something about Dee Dee become distant. Trent and Angie were looking over the looking glass that held the image of Emma and Alyssa embracing, worry etched in their faces. The strings had started to intertwine, but there was no telling how long it would last. As they intertwined they became stronger, melding into one at the very ends.

“It could be,” Angie sighed, glancing up to look at Dee Dee, “There’s something going on with the marks, but they can’t fully come in. That red-headed woman ruined that attempt for now, the girls haven’t come together quite enough yet. If the strings keep coming together there’s still a chance that this could work out. I don’t know what ‘God’s Plan’ is but if I have to hear that one more time, I’m finding a way down there myself.”

Barry let out a loud laugh, only to get a shoe thrown at his head, barely ducking out of the way. “Hey! I might be immortal, but that’s still rude!” He feigned hurt, dramatically throwing his head back before the other shoe hit him in the face. Genuine shock was written on his features, causing the other three Fates to laugh, their focus drifting from the problem at hand for the time being.


	4. i'm so tired of love songs

“I just don’t understand why they didn’t keep talking, there was obviously something there!” Barry lamented, draping himself against Trent, who just patted the other man’s head. Barry had been paying more attention to the pair of girls from Indiana than actually doing his job of picking soulmates for other children. There was something that drew him, and subsequently Angie, into the ruined fates of these girls. “They compliment each other so well, do you remember their first meeting? They were just kids but it was there, it was perfect.”

Trent couldn’t help but agree, the chemistry that was in the barely budding relationship was something that he hadn’t seen in a long time. Most people just found someone with the name matching their mark and called it good, but this was an entirely new type of chemistry. This was genuine and not based on marks, even if they inadvertently were still pulled by the Strings of Fate. “They have to make this journey on their own, we can’t help them right now, not without revealing ourselves, or completely messing with the flow of things,” He kept his voice at a reasonable level, but ever the dramatic, Barry threw himself on the looking glass and looked up at him.

“But how do we know that it’s going to mess things up? We’ve _never_ tried it! It could be the fix that we need! These girls are so ridiculously clueless, it’s painful,” Barry looked like he had more to say but Angie fixed him with a look that made the man fall silent. If anyone knew about what messing with the mortals it was Angie. She’d seen one too many lives end prematurely because of meddling, whether that be from other mortals, or from Dee Dee and Barry.

“No one is going to mess with the path that they are on, their strings are still melding, there is something happening, we just have to be patient,” She fixed Trent with a look, “And not let our emotions on the matter distract us from our duties. I know we’re all beating ourselves up for letting this happen, but mortals are unpredictable and we couldn’t have prepared for this sort of thing. They are starting to figure out what needs to happen, even if it might take a little longer than anticipated.” Angie’s word was taken as final, and Barry’s lamenting turned into slipping to the base of the looking glass and staring longingly into space. Angie didn’t know who this whole situation was harder on, them or the girls.

_________________

Emma had been trying to find a way to attempt to reach out to Alyssa after the PTA meeting, but after a month of questioning how, she figured the time had passed and thanking her at this point would only make things awkward. No one wanted to be thanked a month after they rescue someone from a panic attack. The blonde went back to just melting into the crowds so she could avoid being noticed, so she could ignore the way her heart ached when she thought about how incredibly right it felt to be in Alyssa’s arms. She knew that her heart was telling her to actually talk to her, but there was no way that Emma would actually do it. Alyssa was one of the most popular girls in the school, and her mother had openly threatened Emma on multiple occasions. So Emma resigned herself to think about her crush while she ate her lunch in the band closet.

Alyssa had made it her mission to avoid being near Emma as much as possible, both for the blonde’s sake and her own. Something in Alyssa had changed during that PTA meeting and she couldn’t place what, but she knew that if she trusted that change or let herself find what had caused it, it would be dangerous. Still, she felt a never ending tug in her chest to follow Emma when she ran off down the hall after Nick or Kaylee pulled a prank on her. Once or twice she started to, only to lose Emma when the blonde rounded a corner a little too quick.

The pair did this awkward little dance of trying to confront each other for nearly three months, until Alyssa decided to scope out Emma’s locker in between classes one day. She had seen Nick messing with it and she had no idea what had been done to the inside this time. All she knew was that she’d never forgive herself if she let another incident like the bear incident happen. So when she saw Emma coming up to her locker she darted across the hall and put her hand on it, “I-I wouldn’t open that if I were you!” Her voice was frantic and her eyes were darting anywhere but Emma’s, seeing all of their peers looking at her. Emma eventually caught her eyes, raising an eyebrow and moving Alyssa’s hand. The brief moment that their hands touched sent pain through Alyssa’s wrist, but she ignored it to put her free hand on the one Emma was using to open her locker. “Emma,” she whispered, catching Emma’s eyes, “Please don’t open your locker...”

Emma was going to ignore Alyssa’s request until she saw the fear in the brunette’s eyes. There was something in them that caused her to freeze just long enough for both of her hands to end up in Alyssa’s and her heart rate to pick up to a terrifying rate. She nodded slowly and looked around at their peers before leaning a little closer to Alyssa so no one would hear her, “Thank you... but I-you’re still holding my hands...” She gave a soft smile, not wanting to lose the touch, but knowing that it had to go to spare Alyssa of any questions. She felt Alyssa drop her hands just in time for the warning bell to ring, signaling everyone to run off to their next class, and for Emma to head to her hiding spot for her free period. She cast one last, longing look toward Alyssa as she watched the girl retreat before heading down to the band closet.

“You’re so fucking stupid,” Emma muttered to herself, slamming the door to the closet as she entered it. No one ever came down the band hallway, so she never worried about talking to herself. She didn’t have friends to tell her how stupid she was, and her grandmother would only tell her she was too hard on herself, so she just chose to do it herself. “You can’t fucking stare at Alyssa like that,” She stared in the mirror the band students used to make sure their uniforms fit, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m in love with Alyssa Greene. God, I really fucking am.” She dropped her bag, pinching the bridge of her nose and taking in a deep breath. This revelation was something Emma had been battling against admitting since she was eleven, and it was all coming to a head. There was no escaping her feelings, or denying that they were there. There was only avoiding talking to Alyssa so she didn’t admit them to the other girl.

As Emma let her tears fall, she remained blissfully unaware that someone else had heard her revelation. They didn’t say anything, leaving the band closet door slightly ajar as they made their way out of the hallway.


	5. time and hearts will wear us thin

Emma made her way to her locker the next day, head down and bags under her eyes darker than they’d ever been. Her dreams had been riddled with Alyssa and while she didn’t mind that usually, she did when they involved telling her how she felt. She lazily put in her combination, heart stopping as she came face to face with what probably had been the torment from yesterday. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary from the stuffed animal hanging in her locker was the note attached. She grabbed it, ignored the slur painted on her locker as she opened it. ‘I’m going to tell Alyssa’ was the first thing her eyes landed on, panic rising in her chest as she thought about what that could mean. She took a second, looking around at the fairly deserted hallway, before reading the rest, ‘I know you love her. I heard you in the hallway. And I know about your “mark”. Use a braincell Emma. If you don’t tell her then I will. You have until Friday.’ The note was just signed with the letter S and a heart, her brain not quite putting together who the note was from. It wasn’t until she looked up again that she pieced it together.

Looking up, she saw the trio coming toward her and immediately shoved the note in her pocket. Alyssa looked apologetic about the locker situation, but her focus was drawn to Shelby this time instead. “Do you like the elephant Emma?” Kaylee asked, a taunting tone to her voice that seemed to hit less hard than normal. The blonde moved her focus to the brunette, raising an eyebrow before realizing that the animal of the day was a stuffed elephant.

“Real cute Kaylee, is it some ploy on my weight today?” Her voice was cold, knowing that there was more riding on this interaction that the normal ones. She shifted her focus back to Shelby, who simply raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

“It’s my personal touch today, an elephant never forgets Emma,” there wasn’t as much of an edge to Shelby’s words, they were more goading than anything. “You never know who the elephant could be listening to,” she giggled, glancing to Alyssa before her eyes met Emma’s once more. There was something in them that Emma couldn’t quite place, and it made her stomach tie itself in knots.

“Right, uhm, well it’s a nice touch. Especially with everything else that’s been happening, but Shelby, shouldn’t you be more worried about Kevin or something?” Raising an eyebrow she looked over to Kaylee before hearing Alyssa clear her throat and having every last ounce of her attention be drawn to the girl that ironically held her heart.

“Okay, I don’t know what any of this is about, but,” Alyssa trailed off, trying to find the right way to form her words. There was something on her mind, but Emma couldn’t place it. “We need to get to class, see you around Emma,” Alyssa gave her a smile before the trio moved down the hall, Emma not bothering to turn and look at her.

_____________

Alyssa had been keeping to herself lately, trying to find a way to tell her mother that she felt a weird pain in her wrist. It was supposed to be where people’s marks form, and she wondered if that meant her mark was coming in. But anytime she brought up marks around her mother, the older woman shut down the conversation entirely. She could’ve sworn that she saw a faint E coming in on her wrist, and it only seemed to ache when she was around Emma. There had to be a connection, and from her nights spent on an incognito browser, it seemed like it was her mark coming in later than normal. Did that mean Emma was her soulmate?

She tried not to think about that too much until Friday morning when she looked at her mother before school and decided it was finally time to bring it up. “Mom, I was doing some research because my wrist has been hurting a lot more lately. I-I think my mark is finally coming in? I know it’s really rare for it to come in this late, but-”

Alyssa felt all of her confidence disappear as her mother slammed her coffee cup down, starting to stammer to drown out her own child. “I-I that’s not possible. I talked to doctors when you were little, they said it wasn’t going to happen. I-It’s not your mark, you’re just wishing you were like everyone else and I get it Alyssa, but it’s not. Going. To. Happen.” She gave Alyssa a look that would usually shut the young girl down, but there was something fishier about the way her mother was acting that Alyssa knew there was something else.

“You can think what you want mom, but I-I think that it’s coming in and I’m not going to get my hopes up, but I really hope it is. It would make things make a lot more sense,” Alyssa left the conversation at that, standing from the kitchen table and grabbing her backpack. “I-I have to get to school,” she mumbled, making her way out the door and to her car.

Making it to the school, she found a note slipped into her locker, smiling softly at the swirling cursive that filled the page. _Alyssa, I know that it’s a little weird, but could you meet me in the band closet during lunch? I want to tell you something, but I don’t want anyone else to know. I’ll leave it unlocked, just come inside. -Emma_

_____________

Emma felt her heart skip a beat as Alyssa closed the door to the band closet. “Uhm- hi Alyssa... fancy seeing you here,” she stammered, anxiously fiddling with her hands. She’d invited Alyssa here to tell her how she felt but suddenly the air was sucked out of the room and she was left staring at the girl.

Alyssa seemed to sense her anxiety and moved forward to take her hands, smiling comfortingly up at her. “You said you had something to tell me?” Her voice was soft, the smile on her face melting Emma on the spot. “I’m all ears Emma, you can trust me.”

Without thinking the words began tumbling off her lips, “I know you could never feel the same way but I didn’t want to keep it from you anymore. I think I love you...” She kept her focus on their hands, not wanting to look anywhere else as she waited for the inevitable rejection.

“Oh Emma,” Alyssa whispered, squeezing the blondes hands. Hearing her name fall from the brunette’s lips made her look up, trying not to look too hopeful. There was a look in Alyssa’s eyes that she couldn’t quite place, contemplation maybe? The brunette seemed to be having some sort of internal debate. “You can’t mean that...” Alyssa whispered, biting her lip and inadvertently bringing Emma’s attention to her lips.

“Alyssa I have never meant anything more in my life than when I say I am completely head over heels in love with you. A-And I know that it’s probably not something I should admit, but it’s out there and you can feel free to make fun of me for it. I’d totally understand if you left and told everyone and never spoke to me again.” She fell silent, tears pricking up in her eyes. Then Alyssa’s hands left her own and she knew it was over. Alyssa was going to leave and she was going to be an even bigger laughing stock.

Emma’s fears were put to rest however as the hands that left her own found their way to her cheeks, Alyssa’s lips suddenly on her own and she felt like she was going to die right then and there. It only took her a moment to return the kiss, tears flowing freely as she tentatively rested her hands on Alyssa’s hips.

When the girls parted, Emma couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, her hands not moving from Alyssa’s hips. “Alyssa I-“

Alyssa pulled her in for another brief kiss, pulling back and whispering, “Emma, I think I love you too.” Both girls ignored the burning sensation in their wrists, focusing on the words between them. They both knew what they wanted to say, but neither had the words to say it. It wasn’t until the bell rang and they jumped apart that Alyssa found words once more, “Can I walk you to class?” Emma could only nod, shouldering her bag and holding her hand out to Alyssa.

They walked in silence to Emma’s English class, hyper aware of the laser focus everyone had on them. Alyssa seemed like an entirely new person, like something had changed in her with Emma’s confession. She pressed a quick kiss to Emma’s cheek, her words very soft in Emma’s ear, “I was thinking about it and Emma, I think you’re my soulmate.”


	6. how do we win?

It wasn’t long before word got around to the parents that Emma and Alyssa were together. In all reality it took less than three days, and in that time, Alyssa had heard nothing short of her own mother threatening Emma’s life. She didn’t know what was going on, or what it would mean for her and Emma, but she knew that if she didn’t stand up to her mother soon then she’d never have the life she thought she could have with Emma. Ever since her small revelation, one where she was entirely unsure that she actually felt that way, it was like life had begun anew. She was more relaxed, and she could laugh around Emma and genuinely be herself.

Something had begun to change in her friends as well, Kaylee and Shelby had stopped hiding their relationship almost entirely. They felt that if Alyssa could make the decision to be out, that maybe they could too. After all, they had marks to prove that their Fate was sealed, Alyssa simply wished she had that proof. She felt it coming, the pain in her wrist was growing stronger every moment she spent away from Emma. It only truly subsided when they were hand in hand, almost as if they were meant to be together.

Everything began to come to a head the morning her mother announced that there would be a PTA meeting that she _had_ to attend. “Alyssa, if you do not show up in that gym, I will come drag you in there. You need to know what this- this _freak_ is doing to you! It’s absolutely unhealthy!” Mrs. Greene was more serious than she’d ever seemed, but Alyssa couldn’t find herself able to do anything but roll her eyes and assure her mother that she would be there. She knew that she needed to warn Emma that things were going to happen, but by the time she got to the school, Emma had already found out. Betsy, her grandma, wasn’t able to make it to the meeting so Alyssa would officially be her only source of comfort.

“Emma, I promise you that I’m going to protect you, I won’t let her say or do anything to hurt you,” Alyssa sealed her promise by pressing a kiss to Emma’s lips before the pair headed to their separate classes. Alyssa hoped that she could make good on her promise, not sure how well her nerves would allow her to stand up to her own mother. This was a situation she never thought she’d be in, but when she saw Emma’s smile she wasn’t sure that there was anywhere she’d rather be.

The time for the meeting came and Alyssa couldn’t seem to get there in time. Emma had waited to go in for five minutes before giving up waiting for the brunette. As soon as she entered it was like the pits of Hell opened beneath her, her heart dropping to her stomach as Mrs. Greene looked at her and turned the conversation from simple and light to what felt like a murder trial. “This girl! This, _lesbian_ , has tainted our community! She’s convinced my daughter that things like this are okay! She’s working with the Devil, clearly, and we need to be sure our children aren’t being affected by what she’s putting in their heads!”

“Mrs. Greene...” Kaylee tried to reason with her, but was shut down by those around her, only Shelby supporting her by taking her hand and lacing their fingers. Emma was stood stock still, heart hammering as she tried to think about her options. The parents seemed to agree with what she was saying, the only adult voice of reason being Principal Hawkins as he tried to calm what could turn into an angry mob. It wasn’t calming any, and for a second Emma thought about running because Mrs. Greene didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, hurling slurs as she told the crowd all of the things that Emma would lead to, only for Alyssa to come bursting into the gym.

“Mom! You need to stop talking for a second and just listen,” She was out of breath, tears in her eyes as she grabbed her mother’s arms. Mrs. Greene began to protest, only for Alyssa to hold up one hand and stop her, “No. Just. Listen. People don’t turn gay, and marks can have a name that matches the gender of the person they appear on. People are who they are, and the world needs more people like her, people who aren’t afraid to be themselves. She- and I may not have a proper mark, but I can feel it coming, and I know she can too. I just want to be myself- I just want to be happy- So here goes.” She burst past her mother, and for a moment time slowed.

“I love you Emma Nolan! You’re my soulmate!” Alyssa shouted, reaching out for Emma but as soon as the blonde took her hand all Alyssa could feel was pain, was this what a soulmate was? She thought the revelation would be painless, she’d say it and then they could go on with their lives. Clearly The Fates had another idea because the pain had spread from her wrist to her chest and it felt like every bone in her body was about to shatter. She wanted to take the words back out of the universe, anything to stop this pain and the look on Emma’s face.

“What did you do to my daughter?!” Mrs. Greene cried out, shoving Emma out of her way and pulling her daughter up into her lap. Alyssa cried out in pain, back arching as she tried to get back to Emma’s touch, the pain getting worse with each passing second.

“E-Emma...” Alyssa whispered, physically too weak to try and reach out. Her eyes met the blonde’s heart shattering as she saw how scared Emma looked. Everything was starting to get fuzzy, the only stable image was Emma. She kept her focus on who she now knew to be her soulmate, willing her to come over to where she had been.

“Alyssa I need you to focus on me,” she heard her mother order, but Alyssa couldn’t look over, knowing it would make things worse. “Alyssa please, she’s only causing you pain,” her mother’s voice was pleading this time, clearly worried about her daughter.

“Mrs. Greene please, can I-“ The words died on Emma’s lips as she was fixed with a glare that could kill. It only deterred her for a moment, her body moving without her consent to take Alyssa’s hand. The pain in Alyssa’s body weakened, Emma having taken the hand where the pain started from. It wasn’t enough to dull the realization in Alyssa that she was dying, but just enough to dull her senses as she slipped out of consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not sorry for the cliffhanger :)


	7. am i allowed to look at her like that?

Emma didn’t know what to do, Alyssa wasn’t responding, but she was still breathing from what the blonde could see. Mrs. Greene had pulled Alyssa away from her, causing an aching pain that Emma hadn’t felt before. It was like someone had pulled out her still beating heart and was holding it at arms length. As if they could crush it to dust and she would cease to exist. "Mrs. Greene, have you ever felt that being with someone is so incredibly right that not even The Fates could stop you if they tried? I know that you say you have never had a soulmate, but you had a husband, right? What if everyone around you told you that there was no way you two could make it, but you just believed that you could and you were willing to do _anything_ to make it work. That's how I feel with Alyssa, that's what this is to me. I love your daughter, she's the person I feel I am destined to be with and if you don't let me hold her and take away some of her pain, then she will die in pain rather than have a chance to live. Please," Emma's voice cracked as she spoke, chest heaving with every breath as she felt the pain start to consume her body. She knew it was nowhere close to what Alyssa must be feeling, but she felt that there had to be something she could do.

Mrs. Greene looked between the unconscious girl in her arms and the girl in front of her, taking a moment or two before conceding. She pressed a kiss to her daughter’s forehead before laying her back down so Emma could do what she needed to do. Except Emma didn’t know what to do, she pulled Alyssa into her lap and let the tears she’d been fighting fall. “Please, there has to be something,” she whispered, her lips pressed against Alyssa’s temple. She’d barely begun loving Alyssa and that was being stolen from her with each passing moment. She didn’t know how much longer the brunette had, and the idea that she might never get to see Alyssa’s smile again was killing her. “This can’t be the Fate that we’ve been given, please let this not be the Fate.”

_______________________

“Angie!” Barry called, dragging the blonde over to the looking glass that had been fixated on the same set of soulmates for over two months. It was as if they were mortals watching a soap opera, but much worse. “It’s happening! They found a braincell, these poor lesbians!” He seemed so excited that Angie was intrigued enough to pay attention, knowing that their strings had become tighter and tighter wound as the time had gone by.She watched as Alyssa stood up to her mother, her smile growing. Dee Dee was across the way, blankly looking ahead but Angie knew she couldn’t see anything. Her hand was moving slowly, tracing out Alyssa’s mark and just as Angie began to relax, thinking that things were going back to how they should be, she heard a shriek of terror.

She spun back around, seeing Barry holding Trent as they both looked on at the spectacle before them. They looked terrified, Trent trying to stammer out what was happening but between his face being against Barry’s chest and what sounded like gibberish coming out, Angie just had to look for herself. What she found chilled her to her core. Alyssa had gone from proclaiming that Emma was her soulmate to being on the ground. She grabbed the edges of the looking glass, trying to study the scene to see what was going on but all she found was the same panic on everyone’s faces. Then it clicked.

Dee Dee was the problem.

“Dee Dee!” She called, trying to snap the woman back to reality, but to no avail. Times were dire and Angie felt like strangling Dee Dee to bring her back to her senses but she knew from experience that it wouldn't work to make the woman focus. Barry and Trent were useless, helplessly watching the looking glass like their crying could help fix what was happening. With a swift kick-ball change, Angie launched her foot out at Dee Dee, planting it square in her chest. She rested it there for just a moment, careful not to dig her heel in too hard. This next move would determine whether Alyssa Greene lived or died. “Sorry babe, this’ll hurt,” She muttered before shoving Dee Dee to the ground, watching as she was shaken from her daze. She looked up, offended by Angie’s actions before the blonde pulled her back up and over to the looking glass.

“There’s too much going on right now, but something happened to Alyssa when you started carving her mark. I think whatever the mortals did messed with your ability to re-carve,” Angie explained, shoving Barry off of the looking glass so they could see what was happening now. The fear in the air was palpable as the quartet regained their composure and looked on.

____________________

Emma held Alyssa as close as she could manage, the gymnasium having grown quiet as the scene played out before them. Mrs. Greene was now sat beside Emma, holding the blonde closer to her as they both mourned what seemed to be the loss of Alyssa. Emma could feel her breathing getting fainter, the fear building up in her as she glanced at their wrists. A mark had begun appearing, the first letter and a faint outline had already formed. It matched her own almost perfectly and simply solidified what Emma already was sure of. That she and Alyssa were meant to be, even if it seemed impossible, even if it was already over much too soon.

Emma only let go of Alyssa when the paramedics arrived to start trying to help her. There wasn’t much they could do however, since there was no real source for the pain. As they attempted to wake her up, Emma stood by her side, holding her hand. Her focus was on the mark and how it had stopped forming, ending up identical to how her own was. Could that be a good sign? She looked to where Mrs. Greene was talking with the paramedics about what could be done, not wanting to pay for a hospital visit if she wasn’t sure that there was something _medically_ wrong with her daughter.

This couldn’t be it, she couldn’t have lost Alyssa already, their marks were still there. Her grandmother had begun to lose hers as soon as her granddad had gotten sick before he passed away. That’s how she had prepared for it. Emma hadn’t lost hers yet, and Alyssa had gotten hers, so there was no way in the blonde’s mind that this was the end. Time felt like it was going slower, as if the Fates had heard her Alyssa squeezed her hand. “A-Alyssa?” She whispered, eyes dropping to the girl.

__________________

“Wh-where am I?” Alyssa asked, looking around that the white expanse that surrounded her. She thought that some of the forms resembled furniture, but it was all too bright for her to really be sure. In front of her were four adults that she didn’t recognize looking over what seemed to be an oversized bird feeder. All at once they turned to look at her, resembling hawks locking in on their prey, or the pelicans from Finding Nemo. “Who are you guys? What is this place?” Her voice took a scared tone, hands trembling as she took a few steps toward them. They all jumped back, talking amongst themselves for a few moments before looking back to her. They seemed just as scared about her appearance wherever she was, which only made Alyssa’s worry grow. “Where’s my mom? Where’s Emma?” She asked, pressing forward another step or two in an attempt to get one of them to say something.

The shorter of the two men took a step forward, hands on his face as he looked over Alyssa. “Oh honey, you aren’t meant to be here...” He kept his voice soft, and even as he reached out to her, he stopped just short of touching her. The tall, blonde woman stepped forward next, setting a hand on his shoulder to keep him at a safe distance. Her smile was more solemn, as if she was accepting a fate that hadn’t been intended. She didn’t reach out either, simply pointing Alyssa to move forward toward the bird feeder that they had been looking around. “Angie, is that a good idea?” the man asked, half whispering as he looked up at her. It was too late to stop Alyssa however, the brunette having walked past them to see what they meant.

She was met with the sight of herself on a stretcher, Emma next to her holding her hand and crying. Her heart all but broke at the sight, “N-No, I can’t be dead. This can’t be Heaven, there’s only four... only four people.” She looked between the two pairs, then back to the image in front of her. Her whole body began trembling, hands gripping the sides of the bowl and willing herself to wake up. There had to be something she could do, she had to get back to Emma.

“This is not Heaven, I can assure you that,” the blonde said, not moving from her spot so Alyssa could have the space needed to process what was happening. “We are what you mortals call The Fates. Each of us has a job, but we’ve given ourselves names as we spend a lot of time watching mortals and wanted to kind of _fit in_ as you will. I’m Angie, this is Barry. Trent and Dee Dee are on your other side. None of us ever intended for your life to be this hard Alyssa, but some things were out of even our control. Our current predicament is trying to re-carve your mark,” She pointed to Alyssa’s wrist, letting her notice the current state of it before she continued with a sadder smile, “It seems that in doing so we brought enough physical damage to you that it brought you here. We’re the middle stopping point before the afterlife, but I don’t think that any of us believe it’s your time to go.”

“I-I don’t want to go,” Alyssa whispered, hand reaching out to touch the image of her and Emma. It went right through the image like water, her hand brushing by where their hands were. “Let me go back, please,” Alyssa begged, tears freely falling as she spun around to meet Angie’s eyes. “There has to be a way to send me back, please Angie.” Angie looked behind her to Dee Dee and Trent who seemed to be at a loss for words. The Fates had never been in this situation before, where they had to send someone back down. Usually the sent them toward the light that appeared, but there wasn’t even one of those this time around. It was just the white expanse, the looking glass, and the five of them. Without any sort of warning Alyssa felt a tug at the hand she’d put into the looking glass, her attention flicking back. Something was pulling her into the liquid. “Wh-What’s happening?” She asked, scared as her arm slipped further down. She was now submerged up to her shoulder, eyes wide with fear.

“I think,” Dee Dee said softly from behind her, taking a few steps forward, “Someone is pulling you back there anyway. I can’t finish your mark without causing this to happen a second time, but I believe you know who it is.” She stood on the other side of the looking glass, meeting Alyssa’s gaze briefly before nodding down. It drew Alyssa’s attention to where Emma now had her other hand on her body’s cheek. She lifted her free hand to said cheek, smiling at the feeling. It was as if Emma was there with her, and it made the tug on her arm even stronger. “Let it pull you in, it’ll pull you back,” Dee Dee advised, looking on as Alyssa did as she was told. The force pulling her tugged ever so slightly harder and as if she was being pulled into the deep end of a pool, Alyssa slipped into the looking glass.

__________________

Coming to, Alyssa’s eyes fluttered open to gaze upon Emma, the blonde’s hand still on her cheek. The joy and love that lit up the girl’s face all but melted Alyssa further into the stretcher. Without any warning she leaned up, capturing Emma’s lips in a kiss, her whole body tingling at the sensation but no pain taking over. When she pulled back ever so slightly she heard Emma whisper her name and it made her giggle. “I’m here Emma, I-I don’t know how but I met the Fates. They told me that it wasn’t my time, that you were still calling for me. I didn’t think that I’d see what I saw, but I can tell you with certainty that we’re soulmates, and that Fate definitely does allow a love like ours...”

Mrs. Greene had made her way over as Alyssa spoke, frantically trying to pull Alyssa’s attention to her, but her daughter paid her no mind. She kept her focus on the girl that had saved her life and on processing what she’d seen. When the older woman’s calling to her became too much she finally turned her head, “Mom... you have to let me be with her. I-It’s not her fault, and I might not have proof, but how do you get proof of meeting Fate? It was like how you describe where Dad went when he passed. A big, white room. But it wasn’t empty, and there was no bright light on the other side. There were four people, or they looked like people. And a bird feeder? It’s what brought me back here, what brought me back to Emma.” Her mom made an attempt to reason with her daughter, explaining that she was just imagining things and people had hallucinations while they were unconscious all the time. Alyssa wasn’t having any of it though, pulling herself off the stretcher.

“Mrs. Greene, please, I-I know that this might be hard on you, but Alyssa lived through whatever that just was a-and the first thing you’re worried about is that we’re together? You need to set your priorities in a better order because even if she came back and said that God or Fate had told her we weren’t meant to be, just her being alive would be enough. It would be _my main priority._ ” Emma had a very serious tone to her voice, her arms wrapping tightly around Alyssa as she glared at Mrs. Greene. When she left the woman speechless, she turned her attention to the brunette, “Miss Alyssa Greene, would you want to come over for dinner? Maybe recover from... the events of today, and watch a movie with me and Grams?”

“Miss Emma Nolan, I would love to,” Alyssa chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before looking to her mom with a sadder smile. She wanted her mom to come around, but she didn’t know if there was much that she could do to cause it. “Mom?”

“I-” Mrs. Greene started, falling silent as she thought about how she could phrase what she wanted to say, “We’ll talk at home, okay?”

“Okay...” Alyssa whispered before beginning to lead Emma out of the gym and out to the parking lot. As they walked, Alyssa couldn’t help but smile as she saw how even though neither girl had a full mark, they still matched with just the first letter and a faint outline. It made her feel special, like they were special. They’d beat the odds. She had no idea how the conversation with her mother would go, but she knew that no matter what, she’d have somewhere to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! Thank you for everyone that put up with my teasing of different endings and with my sporadic upload schedule!


End file.
